Land Use Policies

News about Land Use Policies, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Oct. 4, 2016

Battle over plan to install Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii has continued since protesters disrupted groundbreaking for project in 2014; some view fight as one between science and superstition, while others see plan to build telescope on sacred mountain as disrespectful to native Hawaiians; court hearings will take place in October. MORE

Sep. 20, 2016

Threlkeld Journal; campaign by nonprofit Friends of Blencathra to buy mountain south of Threlkeld in England's Lake District fails when fundraising falls short of owner's asking price; group's attempt comes at time when entire Lake District faces rising tensions over competing interests of agriculture, tourism and conservation in historic region. MORE

Sep. 15, 2016

Plum Island, which lies off Long Island coast and is home to high-security Plum Island Animal Disease Center, has become subject of controversy; research center will close within decade and federal government hopes to sell island, longtime inspiration for stories and conspiracy theories, to developer, while many locals want it to become nature sanctuary or public park. MORE

Aug. 29, 2016

Muslims wanting to construct their own cemeteries face opposition across United States from town councils and other groups wanting to block such efforts; opponents cite variety of zoning concerns, but academics and social activists hold that exclusionary approach is based in fear and bias; efforts by Islamic Society of Greater Worcester to build cemetery in Dudley, Mass, highlighted. MORE

Aug. 28, 2016

Zimbabwean government is threatening to seize farms of people who do not support Pres Robert Mugabe, leveraging land as tool for control amid political and economic upheaval; seizures continue pattern begun with seizure of land from white farmers in early 21st century; country's ongoing land issues must be resolved before it can receive economic support from West, which it has long resented but may be forced to rely upon. MORE

Aug. 21, 2016

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column underscores incredible value of America's public lands, which belong to each and every citizen; describes pleasures of backpacking through Sierras; warns that Republican Party platform seeks to return public lands to control of states, and notes Republicans have stymied increased funding for their upkeep. MORE

Aug. 20, 2016

Proposed Senate bill sponsored by Republican Sens Mike Lee and Orrin G Hatch seeks to open up biking in federal designated wilderness areas, which has set off debate across country, particularly in places like northwest Washington State; conservationists oppose bill, and it has stirred up lingering disagreements between conservationists and cyclists; federally designated wilderness includes about half of all National Park Service lands. MORE

Aug. 17, 2016

Op-Ed article by Wilderness Society president Jamie Williams points to Republican attempt to attach provision to Puerto Rico's fiscal relief passage that would have give away control of 3,100 acres of Vieques National Wildlife Refuge as example of efforts in Congress and elsewhere to dismantle national system of wildlife sanctuaries and nature reserves; underscores degree to which these lands belong to all American people and should be held in public trust for generations to come. MORE

Jul. 15, 2016

Russia promises free land to people willing to settle its vast and sparsely populated Far East regions; Yuri A Bugaev sees giveaway as opportunity for fellow members of Cossacks rebel group to resume their traditional task of protecting country's borders; critics say plan is unrealistic publicity ploy by government. MORE

May. 13, 2016

New York State Atty Gen Eric T Schneiderman's office says it is looking into lifting of deed restriction in Harlem that allowed developer BRP Companies to buy corner lot from Dance Theater of Harlem that was to be used only for nonprofit cultural organizations; process by which valuable parcel was sold mirrors, in number of ways, similar transaction for Lower East Side nursing home, known as Rivington House; no formal investigation has been initiated. MORE

Apr. 24, 2016

Op-Ed article by author Ken Ilgunas shares his experience walking proposed route of Keystone XL pipeline, from Canada to Texas, in 136 days; says encounters with hostile landowners, law enforcement officers and local gunmen made it clear to him that days of roaming rights are over in United States; urges Americans to initiate conversation about moving away from concept of trespass and instead viewing country's open lands as treasure everyone has right to freely enjoy. MORE

Apr. 5, 2016

Editorial points out necessity of creating new infrastructure for energy distribution if nascent renewable technologies like wind power are to flourish, some of which may be objectionable to landowners; acknowledges energy companies must be sensitive to local concerns, but urges landowners and local authorities to reasonably accommodate structures such as power lines. MORE

Mar. 18, 2016

Federal Magistrate Judge Carl Hoffman denies Cliven Bundy's bid to be released from jail in advance of trial for federal conspiracy and assault charges following armed standoff against government agents in Nevada. MORE

Mar. 13, 2016

Large remote area known as Bears Ears in southern Utah has become battleground between conservationists seeking government protection of additional 1.9 million acres and conservative lawmakers opposing federal control; conservationists have joined with local tribes in requesting national monument under Antiquities Act of 1906, while conservatives are considering $14 million lawsuit to force government to hand over 31 million acres already under protection. MORE

Mar. 5, 2016

United States Forest Service denies proposal for road easement that would have cleared way for residential and commercial development in Tusayan, Ariz, outside Grand Canyon National Park. MORE

Feb. 24, 2016

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla offers to open his privately-owned prime stretch of northern California beach to public for $30 million; 53-acre property, about four miles south of Half Moon Bay, has been favored by public for a century; California's State Lands Commission officials have indicated possibility of invoking eminent domain if suitable cost for restoring public access cannot be negotiated. MORE

Feb. 22, 2016

Editorial cites report by New York City comptroller Scott M Stringer on abundance of long-vacant lots in city suffering from shortage of affordable housing; argues de Blasio administration, which has issued detailed defense of city's plan to address problem, needs to improve visibility of its efforts. MORE

Feb. 18, 2016

New York City Comptroller Scot M Stringer's office will release audit finding over 1,000 city-owned vacant lots that have been sitting idle, most for over 30 years; finding runs counter to claims that lack of affordable housing in city is due to lack of inexpensive land; audit blames city and several mayoral administrations for failing to transfer lots quickly to developers, but housing officials say findings distort how much of available land is suitable for housing. MORE

Feb. 12, 2016

California Coastal Commission vote to fire executive director Charles Lester has thrown agency into turmoil and raised concerns about future of 1,100 miles of coastal land in state; decision came after long line of witnesses described Lester as essential for protection of coastal land from developers; commissioners say they are being portrayed unfairly by Lester's supporters as pawns of developers when in fact decision was based on private personnel information. MORE

Jan. 30, 2016

Armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore, has revealed and deepened divisions among resident in town, some of whom sympathize with occupiers; many in area support goals of protesters, but disapprove with way protesters went about making their point. MORE

Jan. 30, 2016

Op-Ed article by Betsy Gaines Quammen describes 2015 visit to family of Cliven Bundy in Nevada in order to research history of Mormon culture and use of public land; notes two members of Bundy family were responsible for armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon; observes Bundy family differs from other ranchers angered by federal control of land in that Bundys believe God, and not just Constitution, are on their side. MORE

Jan. 23, 2016

New Yorkers who have long tended local community gardens are left without recourse after city announces it will raze more than a dozen to clear land for affordable housing as part of effort by Mayor Bill de Blasio to expand housing supply across the five boroughs; other gardens are threatened by private development and legal disputes; red-hot real estate market has made purchasing new land for gardens prohibitively expensive. MORE

Jan. 17, 2016

Conservatives from across nation flock to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to join armed occupation of state wildlife preserve started by former rancher Ammon Bundy and associates in antigovernment movement; protest initially focused on issue of federal control of lands but many new protesters are pushing separate political agendas. MORE

Jan. 12, 2016

Jan. 11, 2016

Growing number of lawmakers in Western states, most of them Republican, are pushing for federal government to give millions of acres of public lands back to states; while they have criticized armed ranchers and activists who have seized control of wildlife refuge in Oregon, goals are essentially same; critics of concept note proponents are not giving clear picture of what would happen if states do take back federal lands inside their borders. MORE

Jan. 10, 2016

News Analysis; occupiers of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge trace their ideological roots to relatively more mainstream Wise Use movement, conservative land-use doctrine that has been part of American national discourse for almost 30 years. MORE

Jan. 7, 2016

Overflowing community meeting in Burns, Ore, focuses on town's governance and values in light of armed takeover of government buildings at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge; protests prompt discussion of role of government in society and mixed feelings toward occupiers; Burns Paiute Indian tribe also asserts right to land. MORE

Jan. 7, 2016

Editorial denounces anti-government militia's rationale for armed occupation of Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge; asserts group misunderstands both Second Amendment and history of federal land use policies in American West; argues in democracy, resorting to threat of armed insurrection makes adjudicating any grievances against government impossible. MORE

Jan. 6, 2016

Group of armed protesters occupying federal wildlife reserve in east-central Oregon and calling for government to release lands are seeking to undo policy that has for century defined American West; group's stated goal is to return control of land to loggers, ranchers and local governments, whose fortunes they say federal government has harmed. MORE

Jan. 6, 2016

The Upshot; Q&A examines how United States government came to own 47 percent of all land in American West. MORE

Jan. 5, 2016

Group of armed protesters calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon as part of national movement to force Washington to release its hold on vast tracts of Western land; occupation, which is so far tolerated by federal government, is latest battle in long-running fight between Westerners who make living off the land and federal government that controls much of it. MORE

Jan. 4, 2016

Armed, antigovernment protesters seize empty administrative buildings of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore, vowing indefinite occupation; group, led by Ammon E Bundy, is supporting rancher Dwight L Hammond and his son Steven D Hammond, sentenced to prison for arson on federal lands; Bundy family became symbol of antigovernment sentiment in 2014 with standoff between armed local antigovernment activists and federal officials attempting to take cattle grazing illegally on federal property in Nevada. MORE

Dec. 31, 2015

Chinese truck firm Beiqi Foton Motor opened factory in western Indian village of Shinde, but it faces cultural clash as plant upends life there; company wants another parcel of land, but local monks and other residents oppose move; Chinese businesses investing in other countries are wrestling with complex cultural, political and competitive issues (Series: The China Factor). MORE

Dec. 28, 2015

Op-Ed article by American Prairie Reserve director Pete Geddes advocates conservation model that marries public lands with private resources and businesslike approach that benefits land, wildlife and people; points to efforts by his organization in Montana to purchase critical lands with private funding, annex them to public land and provide business incentives to ranchers and others to participate; holds environmental entrepreneurs are filling void left by government agencies unwilling or unable to act. MORE

Nov. 30, 2015

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column considers reasons for America's urban revitalization, which has increasingly catered almost exclusively to the wealthy, while pricing out the middle-class and poor; calls on government to loosen land-use regulations to allow more housing to be built, leveling off real estate prices. MORE

Nov. 26, 2015

Uaxactun Journal; Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala’s northern Peten region is testing theory that most effective way to protect region's threatened forests is to give control of them to communities already living there, like the 180 families of Uaxactun who first settled area over century ago; environmentalists believe communities that can secure living from forest, often by harvesting valuable hardwood trees, have incentive to protect it, creating strongest line of defense against deforestation. MORE

Nov. 17, 2015

American financial firm TIAA-CREF is found to be heavily invested in agricultural expansion on edge of Amazon rain forests despite Brazilian government's 2010 restrictions on large-scale land deals by foreigners; opponents say company, which bills itself as socially and environmentally responsible, bought land from dubious speculators who displaced previous owners. MORE

Oct. 6, 2015

Some conservationists and government agencies are abandon old conservation models, which seek to preserve individual endangered species or habitats, in favor of broader, ecosystem-wide models that focus on how nature can benefit human society; integrative approach seeks to find ways for species to coexist in uncertain future; plan remains controversial. MORE

Sep. 12, 2015

Op-Ed article by Thomas E Lovejoy and Edward O Wilson argues against Bechtel Corporation proposal to build solar power plant near Baker, Calif, less than mile from Mojave National Preserve; warns project will disturb migration of bighorn sheep native to area; notes this is instance of two environmental imperatives in conflict with one another. MORE

Aug. 23, 2015

Editorial calls attention to growing problem of target shooters abusing national forests, shooting in multiple-use areas and leaving behind what they call 'trigger trash,' enormous amounts of junk, like refrigerators and car parts they drag to pristine areas in order to shoot for enjoyment; notes some enthusiasts have even targeted prehistoric rock art; supports Bureau of Land Management's proposed ban on open target shooting in Utah forests. MORE

Aug. 11, 2015

Editorial praises New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to use tactic known as mandatory inclusionary zoning to create more permanent affordable housing in city; underscores challenges plan faces and urges City Council to be vigilant that any final plan using land-use regulations in such a manner is actually feasible. MORE

Aug. 2, 2015

Several communities in southeastern Liberia have handed over large swaths of farmland to palm oil company Golden Veroleum Liberia during Ebola outbreak, in return for promises of employment and infrastructure; advocacy groups say company took advantage of desperation stemming from outbreak to pressure residents into bad land deal. MORE

Jul. 9, 2015

Building Blocks column; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio must choose side in debate over proposed shopping mall in Willets Point, Queens; might side with Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, which has ruled that Citi Field parking lot is parkland and may not be taken for private commercial enterprise, or could choose to back developers and administration of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg in hopes that plan will someday include affordable housing units. MORE

Jul. 3, 2015

Drought has pushed ranching families of Battle Mountain, Nev, to file lawsuits against Bureau of Land Management to overturn no-grazing edict on federal lands. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Mark Bittman Op-Ed column warns number of American farmers is likely to decline at accelerated pace as fewer young people enter profession; points out high cost of land remains chief obstacle; praises bill that would forgive student loans to young farmers, but contends only land redistribution will shore up real agriculture and combat megafarmers who have overtaken the industry. MORE

May. 5, 2015

Apr. 26, 2015

Florida's Republican legislators have come under fire for using $750 million allotted for conserving and restoring state's wilderness for other projects, despite voter support for conservation; Republicans have argued that state has enough protected land and money is best used for other efforts. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Western Indian farmer publicly hangs himself at political rally staged to oppose land-acquisition policies of Prime Min Narenda Modi's government. MORE

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